Since the targets are pass-through like paper, there is no minimum safe distance required because there is no target or bullet fragmentation. If you want to shoot them from 6" away with your belly gun, knock yourself out. If you want to put them a couple hundred yards downrange, that’s fine too. Whatever your preferred distance, be aware caliber doesn’t matter. I christened this plate rack with a S&W 629 .44 Magnum from a distance of two feet and … it just didn’t care. Take your pick and shoot rimfires, .50 BMG, or anything in between. Just don’t use BBs or airgun pellets as they may bounce back.
Here’s what makes them interesting. Since they have substance, even as a “pass through” target, they react, mainly by falling over. This means you can assemble a plate rack or dueling tree and the “plates” do what you’d expect by falling down or flipping side to side. You’ll experience all the joys of visual feedback. What you won’t get is the noise or the weight. The targets themselves weigh next to nothing so you can tote around a complete plate rack and dueling tree in your car and set it up most anywhere in seconds.
Up Close and Personal —
Thanks to ultra-lightweight components, you can carry a complete
shooting gallery to your favorite range location.
Throom Targets
Here’s something you can’t do with a steel plate rack … blast away from contact distance with a .44 Magnum.
Okay, so this scenario isn’t something we’d likely do anyway, but to make a point, that’s precisely what I did with the new Throom Target plate rack system. And it was safe for all involved — including the plates.
You see, Throom Targets, formerly Newbold, are made from Shoot-Throo — a magic polymer material designed to take near-infinite abuse while asking for more. It’s a pliable self-healing substance, much lighter than rubber and seemingly more durable. Bullets pass right through and as they exit, the material fills the newly created hole. It’s kind of like the liquid metal guy from the movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day only the healing is instantaneous. And just like metal man, you can nail these targets with 12-gauge slugs if you want with no visible effects.
The plate brackets and even the adjustment “bolts” are self-healing,
so bullet impacts on those components mean … nothing.
Even the brackets are made from Shoot-Throo material. Assembly at the
range requires no tools, and shot-up wood pieces are a snap to replace.
There’s more to love. The Throom engineers figured since the material is structurally sound and near impervious to repeated gunfire, why not make the mounting components out of the same stuff? The base units holding the plates are made from Shoot-Throo. Even the bolts that adjust the target angle are made from the magic polymer goo. In fact, while shooting, a bullet passed directly through one of the bolt heads, traveled inside the treaded body of the bolt, and exited the bottom. Upon inspection, there was no visible damage as the bolt self-healed, threads and all. Pretty impressive considering the bolt was barely larger in diameter than the 9mm bullet traveling through it.
Once you have the targets, you build your own stand using cheap and easily replaceable 2×4 lumber. I just cut a bunch of 4-foot sections to serve as legs and crossbars and screwed the plate bases directly in place. The angle brackets are made from the same self-healing material, so they’ll last 75% of forever as well — just replace the wood segments when they get shot up.
You can buy individual targets and assemble any type of shooting gallery you like, or you can purchase the components (less the wood) for the plate rack and dueling tree you see here. If you want to convert your plate rack to a swinging target setup, just flip the crossbar assembly upside down and you won’t have to worry about resetting the targets.
For more info: ThroomTargets.com
The Aimpoint ACRO P-1 sealed housing provides not only extreme durability but visual benefits as well.
aimpoint acrO P-1 red dot Sight
If you value “tuff stuff” be sure to check out the Aimpoint ACRO P-1 Handgun Red Dot Sight. Like most things Aimpoint, this one is built like a tank. Right off the bat, you’ll notice it’s fully enclosed, providing protection against knocks and dings associated with hard use and even daily carry. There are a few additional good reasons for this approach.
First, the delicate dot projection part of the system is sealed off from the world at large. That protects the sensitive parts from dust and moisture. In fact, the housing ensures this optic is not water resistant. It’s waterproof. Big difference. This one can be submerged to a depth of 80 feet. Most of us probably won’t be doing many underwater assaults, but like watches, a more rigorous waterproof rating means all the usual stuff like rain, sweat, humidity, gun oils and the like aren’t going to cause any problems over the long haul. As for dust, perhaps you’ve noticed a starburst effect with other red dot sights? This can occur when the lens is dirty or when the dot projection mechanism picks up lint or debris. Not the case here, as all that is sealed within the housing.
There’s another hidden benefit to the enclosed approach. In certain lighting conditions (think sun out in front of you) with lesser-quality red dot sights, the glare can show you a beautiful view of the “guts” of your red dot instead of the target through the glass. The enclosed housing of the ACRO helps eliminate this effect thanks to some built-in shading. That, combined with quality lens coating, gives you optical clarity in all lighting conditions. In the worst-case scenario, the same housing provides a course sighting option by simply “aiming through the tube.”
The ACRO has adjustable intensity settings selectable via buttons on the left side that give you six daylight and four night vision compatible options for the 3.5 MOA dot. The windage and elevation adjustment turrets are flush with the body, so once zeroed, you won’t be knocking anything out of place. The battery compartment is accessible through the side of the unit, so every year and a half when you have to swap it out, you won’t have to re-zero the ACRO.
For more info: Aimpoint.com
